The present invention relates specifically to a gas turbine engine of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,560. In general this patent discloses a gas turbine engine having a plurality of side mounted vectorable lift nozzles, and a conventional axial jet pipe propulsion nozzle. In use, the engine gases are either selectively directed to the side nozzles to generate lift, or to the jet pipe nozzle to provide forward thrust.
In known engine applications of this type it is usual to provide diverter valve means to achieve the required flow redirection. An example of such a valve is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,803. Unfortunately, this and other know diverter valve arrangements tend to be mechanically complex, and as such add appreciably to the overall cost and weight of the engine.
An objective of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a simple low cost low weight diverter valve, and in particular a diverter valve suitable for use in a VTOL powerplant application.